During the famous Sermon on the Mount, Christ made a powerful declaration about peacemakers. While the world that Jesus ministered to was certainly a world of chaos and trouble, it could be argued that we’re living in even darker times today. Not only domestically, but internationally, the world is in a state of chaos. What does that mean for us? It means that we are called more than ever to be peacemakers in a world that so desperately needs the peace of God.
Matthew 5:9 (ESV)
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
There is no denying that we live in a world that desperately needs peace. Every day the news seems to bring more reports about wars all around the globe, violence in the streets, and hatred between people who are now divided across every line imaginable. It’s easy to take a look at the chaos going on in the world around you and feel completely helpless. After all, how could one person possibly hope to make a difference?
Let’s be honest, you’re probably never going to facilitate world peace. That doesn’t mean that you’re a failure, but it’s important to understand that this sin-stricken, fallen world will never experience peace until Christ returns and sets up His Kingdom on earth. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t be a peacemaker.
It’s important to understand that peace does not just happen. That’s why Christ called His people to be peacemakers. As God’s people, we are called to create peace, regardless of how unpeaceful the world around us seems. Peace will never just occur. We have to make it.
As we’ve already acknowledged, you probably can’t create world peace, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t create peace in your world. There are people in your life who are craving some level of personal peace. Every day when you go to work, to the store, or anywhere else, you are surrounded by people who need the peace of God.
There’s good news! You are a carrier of the peace that they so desperately need. You can be a facilitator of peace for the people in your home, your circle of friends, and even to people who you may not realize are looking for something that you possess. You are a peacemaker!
How can you create peace? How can you share it with others?
You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have
Philippians 4:6-7 (TPT)
Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends understanding will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.
Before you can truly be a peacemaker, you have to have peace. It’s been said that you can’t pour out of an empty vessel, and that’s certainly true in regard to peace. Think of making peace like making a cake. Obviously, you can’t make a cake without having the necessary ingredients on hand. In the same vein, before you can start making peace for the people around you, you must have peace on hand.
In the world we live in, it seems difficult to truly have peace. As we’ve already established, there are plenty of things going on that can take that peace away. However, Paul laid out a roadmap for achieving personal peace. It starts with being totally saturated in prayer, taking every care and concern that you have to God.
When you do that, and you are truly saturated in prayer, Paul says that the peace of God will guard your heart and mind. The troubles that we experience attack those two areas. However, when we are fully saturated with the peace of God, those areas are protected.
This is the key to being a peacemaker. The most important aspect is not fixing all of the world’s problems. Instead, in order to be a peacemaker, the most important thing is to truly have the peace of God operating in you. When you achieve that, you can start making peace.
What Is Peace?
John 14:27 (TPT)
I leave the gift of peace with you-my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts-instead, be courageous.
In order to understand what God’s idea of peace is, we need to understand what peace is not. Did you catch what Jesus didn’t say about peace? He didn’t say that it was the absence of all trouble. We often approach peace as something that we are pursuing instead of something that we have. Christ didn’t say that we could have His peace when everything in our lives calms down. You can experience the peace of God in the middle of the madness that you’re facing.
It’s also important to note that God’s peace isn’t the absence of problems. Having the peace of God doesn’t mean that you suddenly don’t experience nay hardships. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be problems at work, problems with your finances, and even problems at home. God’s peace isn’t based on what’s happening around you, it’s about what’s happening inside you. Regardless of what’s happening outside, God’s peace is working on the inside.
How Do I Make Peace?
Matthew 5:9 (ESV)
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Finally, we get to the question of how do we make peace? Once we’ve established that peace doesn’t happen accidentally, and that you must have the peace of God operating in your life, how do you make peace for other people?
It starts by letting your peace show in your own life. The people around you who don’t know Christ will be more impacted by how they see you react to adversity than any Bible verses that you share with them. When you have the peace of God and people around you know that you’re facing difficult times, it makes them curious about how you remain so peaceful.
Secondly, being a listener when others are facing difficult times is a major component of being a peacemaker. In Galatians 6:2, Paul said that the members of the Church should bear one another’s burdens. There are people who you know that are facing hard times. There are people who are dealing with difficult times that go beyond what many of us could ever imagine. As a child of God and a peacemaker, it’s your responsibility to be there for others. Being there for others who need peace isn’t about simply telling them to pray about it. Instead, it means sitting down, actively listening to their issues, and praying with them.
Finally, you can be a peacemaker by exhibiting the Fruits of the Spirit that are listed in Galatians 5:22-23. In fact, peace is listed as one of those fruits. When you have the Holy Spirit living inside, the fruits that He creates are a natural byproduct. This dictates how you deal with other people and how you feel about the things going on in your own life.
Being a peacemaker isn’t easy. You don’t just wake up one day and decide that you’re going to do it. Instead, it takes a concerted effort to truly grow the peace of God in your own life. That comes through a commitment to prayer and total reliance on God.
A Closing Prayer:
Dear Lord, I want to be a peacemaker the way that Christ said I should in the Sermon on the Mount. I know that creating peace in a world that needs it is what You expect of Your people. Help me to pursue You and the peace that only comes from You. Remind me to make it deliberate part of my day. Help me to remember that my peace is not contingent on my situation, it rests in You. Finally, help me to carry Your peace to those around me. Help me to listen to them, pray with them, and share Your goodness. In Christ’s name, Amen.